Compulsive Apartment Hoarders

Hoarding Syndrome in Apartments

Apartment hoarding has been a well known issue within the property rental community for years.  The popular television series, “Hoarders” on A&E has shed a lot of light on this topic recently.  The show follows the lives of individuals who engage in compulsive hoarding and films the personal crisis they have to deal with as a result.

What is hoarding?  Hoarding a.k.a. disposophobia, is a mental disorder that inhibits a person’s ability to discard or use a significant number of possessions even if they have no worth, are unsanitary, or hazardous.  The keeping of these possessions becomes an obsession for these people and a hole that can’t be dug out of.  Here is a prime example of a Houston Apartment Hoarder who loves Whataburger.  You can see from the images in the prior link that hoarding can turn into a health concern if it gets out of hand.  Those funny smells coming from your neighbor’s apartment might not be their cooking.

The mess that accumulates from hoarding in apartments can be a nightmare for property managers.  Whether it’s piles of books blocking the fire exits or stinky old food seeping into the walls, the acts of these pack rats can lead to big problems in terms of safety or being able to lease out a unit to the next tenant.  I have heard horror stories from leasing agents at Houston Apartments who have literally gagged from the smell when investigating a complaint of a suspected hoarder.  Some of the more sanitary apartment hoarders who collect clothes and paper items wouldn’t stand a chance if a fire broke out.

Everyone’ s heard of the crazy cat lady in Unit B right?  Animal Hoarding in apartments is a specific type of hoarding that is often joked about, but really is a serious matter.  Typically, apartments in Houston have restrictions on how many pets you’re allowed to have.  Some apartments, like Hogg Palace Lofts apartments in Downtown Houston, don’t allow any pets.  Regardless of the rules on pets some people still decide to house 20 cats or 10 dogs.  In my opinion, this is worse than hoarding simple material possessions or trash.  If you can’t take care of an animal you shouldn’t own one, period.  Apartment renters who have an exorbitant number of pets truly need to take a step back and ask themselves if they really can afford the time and money involved in taking care of additional pets.

In summation, hoarding really is a debilitating mental disease.  For those that suffer from this disease, an enormous amount of stress is experienced in their lives and the lives of people close to them.  Unfortunately, pathological hoarding is one of the hardest diseases to manage because it’s actually a hardwired way of thinking in the brain.  If you know someone who hoards be patient with them and offer them help before it gets out of control.  For more information on compulsive hoarding see the International OCD Foundation.

By Adam Shrum

Constant cluttering may be due to a disorder called "compulsive hoarding" which causes people to become anxious when making decision about whether to keep something or throw it out

Compulsive Apartment Hoarding

South Austin Apartment Living

When I first contemplated moving to south Austin, I’ll admit I wasn’t very fond of the idea at all. My search for South Austin apartments almost never got off the ground. I honestly would have rather lived anywhere else. The only things I’d heard about South Austin my four years in Austin were bad things, mainly involving criminal activity. Having lived near Stassney Lane and South Congress Avenue for nearly eight months now, I can tell you I could not have been happier to be so wrong.

It is true, south Austin apartment living is like a whole different world…in a good way. Since moving into my south Austin apartment home, I’ve been able to discover a whole new side to this beautiful city of ours. No, there is not as much burnt orange down here as I was used during my glory days in West Campus, but that’s about the only complaint I have. I’ve had the opportunity to discover tons of local cuisine, most of which has quickly implanted itself among some of my all-time favorite eateries. Chain Tex-Mex restaurants give way to local and family-owned operations. Service seems like it comes with a slightly larger smile, and touch more gratitude the farther you get from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

South Austin offers a comfortable, slightly more conservative side to Austin. Everything is a little slower, and a lot less stressful. It is home to two of Austin’s Wal-Mart Supercenters; a friend to any fresh college graduate on a tight budget. The thing about many of the apartments in South Austin is their age. Within the last decade, the population of south Austin has grown exponentially, meaning many of the communities are brand new, or only a few years old. South Austin provides an affordable, modern alternative to the more expensive and slightly older mainstays of West Campus and surrounding areas.

Your South Austin apartment will have a unique ability to make you feel completely disconnected from city life, yet still be less than a 15 minute drive from the city’s hub. Being a frequenter of central Texas’ abundance of floatable rivers, leasing a South Austin rental offers an easy commute to some of our favorites, like the Blanco and Guadalupe Rivers, without moving us far away from our favorite Austin spot – the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

All in all, South Austin apartments are not only affordable, but they offer up an entirely new living experience.

by Joel Wright

South Austin Leslie Cochran

Round Rock Apartments for Rent at Alexan Palm Valley

Alexan Palm Valley Apartments for Rent in Round Rock, TX

Introducing the 2009 property of the year, Alexan Palm Valley. Beautiful and brand new, these Round Rock TX apartments offer a lifestyle you seek and deserve. Close to everything, Alexan Palm Valley apartments in Round Rock offers convenient access to major employers, fine dining, exceptional shopping, and a variety of entertainment opportunities.

With a 24/7 fitness center, wood plank-style flooring, RRISD schools, energy-efficient black appliances, ceramic-tile entryways, lagoon swimming pool with cozy outdoor fireplaces, vaulted ceilings, and more, these pet friendly Round Rock apartments are where you want to be. Now open and always leasing.

Contact our Round Rock apartment finders and make Alexan Palm Valley your home today!

Alexan Palm Valley Apartments in Round Rock TX

Making Dallas Apartment Moves

Making the move to D-Town? Being the third largest city in Texas, Dallas has an abundant supply of apartment communities. Which one is right for you? Any agent at Apartment Ninjas will tell you that the only way to know for sure is to explore the options out there. The first step in leasing at Dallas apartments is to research the different areas of the city. In no particular order, our top three favorite areas of “The Big D” are Addison apartments, Deep Ellum, and Highland Park communities. Apartment construction in Addison, Texas is on the rise and the properties are looking more and more exquisite everyday. In terms of restaurants, this is one of the most heavily populated areas in the nation, so there are plenty of places to stuff your face at in this part of town. “Are you not entertained!?!” – The Gladiator. Seriously though, if you aren’t maybe you should lease apartments in Deep Ellum. This area is known for its Jazz and Blues scene, and there are plenty of live music venues if that’s your thing. The Highland Park area of Dallas, TX is another good location for apartment living. The apartments in Highland Park are a young professional’s wet dream. Pristine architecture and an abundance of amenities are offered by nearly all the apartment communities in this sector. The icing on the cake of this area is the abundance of beautiful parks nearby. There you have it. Hopefully you have a better idea of what Dallas apartments have to offer and if that didn’t do it for you, maybe the city’s motto will “Live Large, Think Big”.

By Adam Shrum

Downtown Dallas Arts District

Apartments on the Outskirts of Houston

The city of Houston is quite large.  In fact, Houston has a population of  5.7 million people and there are over 2,000 apartment complexes.  But what do these numbers really mean?  When you hear someone say, “What up?  I’m from H-Town” or “Yo dawg.  I’m from Screwston” they could mean Houston or any of the outlying areas.  In college I met a ton of people who said they were from Houston, but they were really from The Woodlands or Friendswood.  There are 12 main areas, that I call “The Outskirts”, which are generally acceptable to be from and still claim you’re a Houstonian.  Here’s a list of Houston Apartments that are interchangeable:

1. Sugarland Apartments – This area is sweet!  Seriously though, if you’re from here you’re probably well off.
2. The Woodlands Apartments – If you couldn’t already tell by the name, there are lots of trees here and apartments sprinkled in with the mansions.
3. Katy Apartments – This area is named after your sister, Katy.  Get it?  They are sugar and spice and everything nice.
4. Pearland Apartments – A lot of doctors and nurses choose this area to be close to work, but not have to deal with the hustle and bustle of all that is inner loop.
5. Pasadena Apartments – AKA Stankadena.  This place smells like highlighter, but it’s good if you work in the factories.
6. Deer Park Apartments – Pasadena’s better looking sibling.  In my opinion, this area’s a little nicer.
7. Clear Lake Apartments – Don’t forget your snorkel.  Lots of water activities for people who call this part of town home.
8. Kingwood Apartments – Fun fact!  This area is known as “The Livable Forest”.
9. Friendswood Apartments – I’ll be there for you…I’ve never heard a bad word spoken about this community.
10. Stafford/Missouri City Apartments - People who live here wanted to live in Sugar Land, but couldn’t afford it.  I’m one of them.
11. Cypress Apartments – Apparently the school system here is stupendous. Young Einstein’s everywhere.
12. Spring Apartments – For people who love antiques and crawfish.  I always go the Crawfish Boil they host annually.  Lots of fun.

There you have it.  Next time someone wants to pull a fast one on you, have this list handy.  If their real address isn’t one of the areas above, call them out.  Remember though, the list above is just this guy’s opinion and I can’t be responsible for personal injury due to confronting someone.  Houston is the land of concrete hills, humidity, and Platinum/Gold Grillz.  If you agree with that statement, you’re definitely from Houston.

By Adam Shrum

A map of Houston and The Outskirts